A Hunter's Quest
by ladyinquisitor93
Summary: Seth was a hunter, young and handsome. Kittie was just a regular girl, young and beautiful with wyverian heritage. Seth was popular, had lots of admirers and friends. Kittie was a bit of a loner and kept to herself. Yet they both played crucial roles in Astera and their paths would intertwine in ways they wouldn't expect. Can they work passed their differences? Some mature content.
1. Chapter 1

Seth was just like any other hunter, except for the part where he was the Field Team Leader as well as the grandson of the Commander, an elder man named Hayden who was a bit of a hardass- but in a good way. His parents had died when he was almost too young to remember, but Hayden helped keep their memory alive and it was because of what great hunters they had been that inspired Seth to follow in their footsteps.

Just like any other hunter, Seth was constantly busy. When he wasn't training new and lower ranked hunters, he was out in the field on patrol or assisting hunters on their first few missions. It rarely left him time for a social life, but he did what he could.

Seth was also pretty popular around Astera, much that due to his relation to Commander Hayden, but he was a fairly handsome young man in his mid twenties that had yet to find himself someone special- which led him all the girls fawning over him. All of them, that is, except for one.

Kittie was unlike many of the people in Astera, in so much as to say she wasn't a hunter. Like Seth, she was raised in Astera, though she wasn't born there like Seth was. She never knew her real parents, but she was taken in as a very young child by the Admiral, a gruff middle aged man named Cornelius that was surprisingly cheerful with a boastful laugh. Admiral Cornelius was the only family she had ever known and all she knew of her heritage was that she was of wyverian blood somewhere, having only inherited the pointed ears.

Cornelius was always so busy, rarely ever seen in Astera, so Kittie often felt alone. But, she quickly became loved by everyone as she jumped right in and helped out wherever and whenever she could- whether it was laundry, cooking, inventory, or just running errands. She tried to stay busy herself, visiting with anyone and everyone she helped, but even then it didn't really help to end her loneliness.

Kittie, like Seth, had yet to find herself someone special, but unlike Seth, she didn't like to have all the guys fawning over her. Cornelius would always tell her how beautiful she was and how she must have taken after her mother, and while Kittie herself never really paid much mind to her appearance, the men in Astera hit on her all the time- some even trying to get handsy with her. But many knew not to overstep their boundaries with her for two reasons: one being their fear of her overprotective adoptive father, the Admiral- knowing he could practically appear out of thin air if word reached him that someone was messing with his little girl- and two being the fact that the Admiral made sure that Kittie could defend herself if needed- which she had shown on several accounts when men tried to get handsy with her.

And even though they grew up in the settlement of Astera, they rarely ever interacted. But that was all about to change, whether they wanted it to or not.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a day just like any other in Astera, the settlement bustling as everyone went about their business.

Kittie was running errands, taking a new shipment from the tradeyard up to the workshop before she headed out to the Ancient Forest to gather ingredients. When she reached the workshop, she smiled when the smithy crew looked up and greeted her warmly.

"Good afternoon, Kittie!"

"Afternoon!" Kittie set the rather large crate on the counter. "Here, your latest shipment."

The Second Fleet Master, Calder, smiled at her. "Ah, thank you, lass. Been expecting this!" He turned to grab something from behind him and presented it to Kittie. "And here, it's from the Admiral."

Kittie took the item from Calder, smiling at the novacrystal dagger. "It's beautiful."

"Cornelius sent over a request a few days ago. He wanted to make sure you got his birthday present to you in case he couldn't return in time."

"That man..." Kittie shook her head with a smile, hooking the sheath to her belt.

"He spoils you, rightfully so." Calder replied, smiling. "I hear you're going out to gather some ingredients for Cliffe?"

Kittie nodded. "I'm picking up the list from him on my way out. The hunters are all too busy and our stock is starting to run low."

"Do be careful out there?"

"I will, I promise. I'll see you guys later?" Kittie smiled, turning to leave with a wave. She headed towards the canteen, grabbing the list of ingredients from Cliffe and her satchel before heading out of the gate and towards the Ancient Forest with a few ecologists that offered to accompany her.

* * *

Seth was out on a patrol with a few other hunters, making sure that things stayed quiet in the Ancient Forest or at least keeping an eye out for anything significant that needed to be reported.

"Man, this is sooo boring!" one of them said.

Seth rolled his eyes, looking around for any signs that something was out of the ordinary.

"Hey, did you see that girl Kittie?"

"That cutie that's always helping out around Astera?"

"Doesn't she usually work in the canteen?"

"I'd that little beauty mount me any day, if you know what I mean."

Seth shook his head, again rolling his eyes at the lewd comments made about Kittie. He knew who they spoke of: Kittie, adoptive daughter of Admiral Cornelius, wyverian descent, in her mid twenties like he was, kept to herself. She was also the only girl who didn't fawn over him, swoon any time he walked by. In fact, she barely paid him any attention- but then again, she was like that with pretty much everyone.

As their patrol walked around, all seemed quiet, but after a couple hours the silence was interrupted by faint screaming.

"Let's go!"

Seth and the others hurried to find the source of the screams, finding a small group of ecologists and a young woman cornered by a Great Jagras.

"Isn't that Kittie?"

Seth shouted out orders, telling two of the hunters to clear out the Jagras, one to get the ecologists and Kittie to safety, and he himself went after the Great Jagras.

In the midst of the chaos, the Jagras were dealt with- either being slain or scared off- but the hunter that was supposed to get the ecologists and Kittie to safety was separated from Kittie before they could reach her.

"Get the others to safety, I've got her!" Seth called, ordering the hunters to get out with the ecologists. He distracted the Great Jagras, leading it into one of the vine traps that had been set up throughout the Ancient Forest- keeping it occupied while he ran for Kittie, who was now cornered by some Jagras that had circled back.

Kittie had been knocked to the side by the Great Jagras' tail, separating her from the ecologists. When she had gotten to her feet again, she found herself surrounded by a pack of Jagras once more. Frightened, she unsheathed her dagger and held it defensively in front of herself. She looked up when a crash came and she saw that the Great Jagras was tangled in a vine trap, Seth heading straight for her. He threw down a flash bomb, stunning the monsters, then grabbed Kittie's hand and took off with her into the forest.

Seth took Kittie into the forest, planning on taking the fastest route back to Astera. Kittie followed after him, but once she felt the sense of danger subside, she sheathed her dagger and stopped.

"What are you doing?" Seth asked, looking at her. "We have to get you back to Astera."

Kittie shook her head. "I still have business in the forest. I'm not going back yet."

"It's not safe out here!"

"I have a job to do and I'm not leaving until I'm done!"

Seth and Kittie glared at each other, their first real interaction with one another ever. They glared at each other for a moment, in silence, until Seth finally sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but you're not staying out here alone."

"Whatever."

Kittie returned to her list of ingredients, searching through the sectors they travelled through- in silence once more as she did her best to ignore Seth- and trying to find the rest of what she needed. 'I need cudgel onions and shroomcaps, still...'

"What were you doing out here anyway?" Seth asked, breaking the silence again.

Kittie leaned down to pluck some cudgel onions. "I'm helping Cliffe gather ingredients for the canteen. With all of the hunters busy and our stock running low, I offered to help. The ecologists were scheduled to come out to the forest already, so they offered to come along and keep me company while they worked." She stood, depositing the ingredients into her pack. "With everything in the forest being so quiet lately, we thought we'd be alright without a hunter present." Sighing, she looked at the trees in search of mushroom colonies. "I hope the others made it back safely."

"I'm sure they're all fine." Seth watched Kittie as she worked, keeping an eye and ear out to the forest. She seemed different than her impressions led many to believe. And he never really paid much attention to her. Until now.

Kittie was a bit shorter than he was, about a half head shorter, and had ice blue eyes with thick dark brown lashes and ash brown hair, sunkissed skin, coral pink lips, an hourglass shaped figure, lean but toned build. She wore a loose fitting sleeveless tunic that reached to her mid thigh, lightweight pants, and a pair of flats, a small pair of silver hoops at her ears, a novacrystal dagger at her hip, and her satchel looked like it was made from kelbi hide. He could clearly see the wyverian blood running through her veins, but it was only her ears from what he could tell that she had inherited.

As Kittie gathered the last of the ingredients for Cliffe, she looked up at Seth to let him know she was ready to head back and found him staring at her. "What?"

Seth hadn't realized he was staring. "What? Oh, sorry, it's nothing." He cleared his throat. "Are you ready to head back now?"

Kittie eyed him for a moment, having never given him much thought before. He was taller than her, but only by about half a head's worth, and he was about her age, somewhere in the mid twenties. He was well built, rhomboid shaped figure, had his fair share of battle scars, had long black hair that was pulled back along the middle with the sides shaved and tied with a blue and red beaded yellow cord, and cerulean blue eyes. He wore the typical Commission armor, but his was sleeveless and his upper arms were protected by arm guards that each sported a trio of small throwing knives.

"I've got everything off Cliffe's list." she replied, nodding.

"Good, it's starting to get dark out."


	3. Chapter 3

Back in Astera, the other hunters and the ecologists had returned safely. The hunters reported in to Commander Hayden and everyone hoped that Seth and Kittie would be OK.

As the daylight faded into dusk, everyone was anxious for news or sign of Seth and Kittie's return. And just as dusk fell, they were relieved to see them both return unharmed.

Seth and Kittie came back into the settlement through the gate near the docks, Kittie surprised to find so many people gathered around to welcome them back. Seth was immediately surrounded by dozens of girls, the hunters who were with him on patrol joining them. It wasn't unusual for this sort of thing to happen to him, but when he tried to look over at Kittie, he saw that she was really uncomfortable and watched as she slipped away as quickly as she could, heading for the stairway leading up to the canteen.

Kittie wanted to thank Seth for saving her, for keeping her safe while she was finishing her job, to apologize for being stubborn, but then they were ambushed by a large group of people- most of them the usual girls who fawned over Seth on a daily basis. She herself was never cared much for large crowds, so the first opportunity she got she slipped away and hurried towards the canteen. She glanced down, sighing when she saw Seth still stuck in a mass of swooning women.

'I'll have to thank him later.'

When she reached the canteen, Cliffe and the other cooks hurried over to her. Between the mewling and actual speech, Kittie had to smile that they were so worried for her. She emptied the contents of her satchel into one of the empty baskets, looking up at Cliffe. "I hope this is enough? At least for a few weeks?"

Cliffe nodded. "Purrfect. That'll last a good long while." He looked at her with his one good eye. "I'm surprised you could get so much with what happened out there."

"You know me, Cliffe, always determined to see the job through." She smiled and rubbed the ears or head of the felyne cooks as they hugged her. "I should turn in, it's been a long day. See you guys tomorrow?"

They all nodded, stepping back and waving as Kittie made her way to the waterfall bridge, taking the stairs up to the main living quarters.

* * *

Finally, things had calmed down in the settlement. Well, at least enough to where Kittie could enjoy a peaceful night to herself. She set her satchel down and slipped out of her clothes, then made her way to the pond in the garden with a towel in hand. Setting the towel on the top step before lowering herself down onto the lowest step, she sighed in content as the water came up just above her breasts and she leaned back to look up at the sky.

Night had fallen and the stars twinkled brilliantly in the sky above. A gentle breeze blew through the garden, the sweet scent it carried mixing with that of the ocean.

Cornelius had been kind enough to procure one of the private suites for Kittie, though it was more like he wanted nothing more than to spoil her. It was complete with a large bed, a hearth, plenty of storage, more than enough space, and a garden with a deep pond that housed a school of hopguppies. It was a bit more space than she needed, but it was a gift from the man who had taken her in and raised her and she was grateful.

Kittie sat in the pond for awhile, just relaxing after a long and tiring day, and thought back on what happened in the forest.

'He could have gone back to Astera, he didn't have to stay with me...' she thought to herself. 'Why would he stay? I mean I get that the Great Jagras was still in the area, but still...' Sighing, she decided to get ready for bed. She left the pond, wrapping the towel around herself as she headed back into her room. Drying off, she changed into a clean pair of underwear and a tunic before climbing into bed.

Just as Kittie was passing out for the night, Seth was up in his room thinking back on the events of the day.

'What was she thinking, going out in the field without a hunter to back her up? Can she even use that dagger of hers? Wasn't it a novacrystal dagger, too? Must have been a gift from the Admiral. That man spoils her so much... she's his daughter, adopted or not, so I guess it makes sense- especially with him always gone. Must be nice.' Seth sighed, his arms tucked behind his head as he stared at the ceiling of his room- having fled to the sanctuary of it after finally losing his admirers. 'She seems nice, though, not what I was expecting of her given what I've heard. I wonder what she was going to say, before that crowd of people ambushed us... I'll have to ask her later, when I see her next.'

He rolled onto his side, feeling the pangs of sleep pulling at his eyes. Closing them, he quickly drifted off.

* * *

The following morning, Kittie and Seth got up to start their days as usual. Though, it wasn't going to be a usual kind of day. Seth went to check in with Commander Hayden, Kittie went straight to the canteen and checked in with Cliffe and the other cooks. They were each instructed to wait at the eastern gate, having been asked to accompany one of the endemic researchers to the Wildspire Waste- Seth as a bodyguard so to speak and Kittie to assist with the endemic life they encountered. When they reached the gate, they were surprised to see the other present.

"What are you doing here?" Seth asked, seeing Kittie waiting at the eastern gate dressed in a similar outfit to the day before.

"I was asked to go with Theresa to the waste, what are you doing here?" Kittie replied, seeing Seth in his usual armor.

"So was I."

"Ah, you're both here!"

"Theresa, good morning." Kittie said, offering a smile.

Theresa grinned. "Morning, you two, you ready to go?"

Seth and Kittie nodded, wincing a bit at Theresa's overeagerness as she wrapped her arms around their shoulders- leading them out of the settlement as she cheered, "Let's go!"

The journey to the Wildspire Waste did not take them long and they reached their camp just as night fell. They got themselves situated, shared a meal, and Theresa was the first to pass out.

Kittie sat by the fire pit, a smile growing when she heard Theresa snoring inside her tent- which she had to herself because she also kept her gear and equipment inside. Kittie and Seth shared a large tent, having beds set up on either side of the tent with their things in the middle. But Kittie couldn't sleep for some reason, so she stayed up a bit just enjoying the fire.

After awhile, Seth woke and found that Kittie wasn't in bed. He got up, exiting the tent and looking around. Finding her by the fire pit, he went over to ask what she was doing up and instead found her asleep with a book in her lap. He had to smile at that- he was seeing another side to her that she rarely ever showed to other people. He gently took the book from her lap, taking her marker and placing it on the page before closing it. He tucked the book into his back pocket, then leaned forward and scooped Kittie into his arms- carrying her into the tent. Setting her slowly on her bed, he pulled the covers up to her shoulders and set her book on her pack.

As he turned to go back to his own bed, Kittie seemed to stir and turned towards him. He watched her sleeping for a moment, admiring how innocent and sweet she looked before smiled and returned to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

The following morning, they are a hearty breakfast before setting out to find Theresa's query.

Seth didn't mind playing the bodyguard, but with things in the Ancient Forest no longer quiet, he wondered if his time would be better spent on patrol or hunting. He kept watch as Kittie helped Theresa with her studies- which involved Shepherd Hares. Seth watched as Theresa tried miserably to catch more than the couple she already had, then he looked over at Kittie who was sitting with the hares in the large cage.

'Is she comforting them?' he wondered as he saw her lean forward, offering her hand for them to sniff and cooing at them. 'That's actually really cute.' He had never seen her so gentle, so calm with anything or anyone- not like that at least. She was always so busy running back and forth, always working, rarely ever talking to anyone, always so focused on the task at hand. It was a nice change. His eyes widened a bit when he watched the kelbi start to move closer to her as if they found comfort being near her.

"Kittie, look at this one!" Theresa called, pointing towards a rare looking hare with red and pink fur. "It's a Pilot Hare!"

Seth watched as Kittie stood, turning towards where Theresa pointed, but his attention was drawn towards the north as a roar sounded in the distance.

"Theresa, you need to finish up. We need to get back to camp." He called to her.

"Just a minute! I gotta catch this pilot hare!" she called back, readying her capture net.

Seth heard the roar again, much closer than before. "Pack it up, ladies, we need to leave now!"

Kittie looked over at him, hearing the urgency and concern in his voice. Her attention was pulled away, though, towards the north and her eyes widened. "Theresa, forget the Pilot Hare, we have to go, now!"

Theresa had just fired her capture net and turned to look at Kittie with a smile- to show her that she had caught the hare- but her eyes widened when she saw what was causing such concern for her and Seth. "Rathian...!"

A rather pissed off Rathian was coming around the bend near the river pools, her eyes locked onto them. She roared and started charging towards them.

"Run!"

Theresa dropped everything and started running towards their nearest camp, ducking and diving as the Rathian shot a fireball at them. Seth barely managed to dodge it himself and Kittie was cut off from him and Theresa.

"Kittie!"

Kittie had avoided the fireball, then ran for the cages to release the hares so they wouldn't get crushed. She kicked open the latches, letting the doors fall open, then turned and ran towards the capture net with the Pilot Hare.

Seth got to his feet, fired a flash pod at the Rathian- stunning it- then ran after Kittie as he shouted for Theresa to get to camp. He reached Kittie just as she grabbed the capture net and just as the Rathian shook herself out of the stun. He tackled Kittie out of the way as the Rathian charged at them and took a swipe at them with her tail. They rolled down the hill and came to a stop in some thick bushes, hidden from view. They looked at the Rathian, seeing it searching for them.

The Pilot Hare was terrified, rightfully so, and started squeaking as it struggled to get free. Kittie hurried to free it from the capture net and watched it take off running for the nearest burrow, then returned her attention back to the Rathian. Upon hearing the hare, the Rathian had started coming their direction to investigate the noise but seeing the hare run off seemed to satisfy her curiosity.

Seth and Kittie lay in the bushes as quiet as they could while the Rathian searched the area for a moment or two more before giving up and taking flight, leaving the area. When he was certain that the coast was clear, he looked down at Kittie and blushed when she met his gaze.

Seth had pulled Kittie into his arms and tried to shield her from harm as they rolled down the hill, landing on top of her when they came to a stop in the bushes. Neither of them had been paying attention to that, but when they realized that he was still on top of her their cheeks burned.

Kittie looked so vulnerable beneath him, her hair falling away from her face- revealing the scars above her right eye. His breathing was as heavy as her own, his pupils dilating and constricting, and the heat from her body radiated against his own. Her body was radiating a strange heat, different than the kind they felt in the waste. She gasped as he shifted his weight, his knee pressing against her loins. "Are you alright?"

Kittie nodded, feeling the same kind of heat from him. "Are you?"

Seth pushed back from her, sitting up as he nodded. But when he stood, he felt a bout of dizziness. Trying to shake it away, he offered Kittie a hand.

"Seth?" Kittie quickly took his hand and stood, looking at him with concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Seth nodded and started up the hill, Kittie close behind him. But as they made their way up the hill, Kittie noticed he was bleeding from his shoulder.

"Seth, you're hurt..!" She hurried forward, but he brushed her off.

"It's nothing I can't handle."

"Seth..."

"I'm fine!" He looked at her, seeing her hand drop and her face fall in defeat- even her ears drooping a bit- as she stepped back. "Kittie, I'm sorry... that came out wrong..."

Kittie refused to look at him. "Whatever, let's just get back to camp..."

Seth sighed, having not meant to sound so harsh. "Damn it..." He followed after her, climbing up the vines and into the cave where their camp had been set up.

"You're both OK!"

He watched as Theresa ran to meet them from the fire pit, hugging Kittie.

"I was so worried!" Theresa looked at Kittie. "Are the hares alright?"

Kittie nodded. "I think so. I managed to free them all, even the Pilot." She looked at her, worried. "I'm sorry, Theresa. After you worked so hard today to catch them-"

"Kittie, it's OK. You did the right thing. That Rathian could have crushed them if you hadn't freed them."

Kittie managed a small smile at that, but when Seth joined them it faded and she turned away, going into the tent.

"Is... everything alright?" Theresa asked, looking between the tent and Seth.

Seth shrugged, then followed Kittie into the large tent. He went over to his things, setting his greatsword against his pack as he started pulling off his armor. He winced as he pulled the chest piece off, feeling how stiff his shoulder was.

"Here."

He looked down at Kittie as she handed him a small bottle of antidote.

"Rath tails are filled with poison. You should drink it just in case."

Seth took the bottle, sitting down as he drank it. He looked at Kittie as she took the bottle from him, then left the tent with a small bowl. When she came back in, she set the bowl next to him and he saw that it was filled with water.

"Will you let me clean and dress the wound..?" Kittie asked.

Seth nodded, letting her sit behind him. "I'm sorry about before..." he said as she started to clean the wound.

Kittie dabbed the wound carefully, pausing for a moment whenever he winced. "It's fine..."

Seth made to look at her over his shoulder, but she put a hand on it to stop him from moving. Kittie finished cleaning the wound, then applied a poultice she had made from herbs. Seth winced as she applied the poultice, but it was already taking effect and the wound felt much better. He waited patiently as Kittie bandaged his shoulder and when she was finished, he made to thank her but she apologized for him getting hurt because of her and left the tent before he could.

He sighed in defeat, unsure what to do or say to make things better between them. He lay back, feeling exhausted, and closed his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Some time later, Seth woke up and found he was still alone in the tent. He could hear Theresa's snoring from the other side of camp, so he knew it was late enough now for her to be asleep, too. He got up, feeling a bit stiff still but otherwise much better thanks to the poultice Kittie had used. He stepped outside, looking around the camp for Kittie. When he didn't see her, he started to get worried and made to put his gear back on and go searching for her. But as he passed by the small opening in the side of the cave that was mostly covered by vegetation, he heard faint splashing over the waterfall and looked down to see Kittie in the water.

Kittie had stayed up to take care of Seth, checking his bandages often, and when Theresa went to bed, she found that she wasn't tired. She sat reading a bit, but after a while, she decided to go down to the waterfall pools and wash up. She slid out of her clothes, setting them in a neat pile next to her towel, then stepped down into the water and lowered herself down. The pools weren't that deep, but the main pool was deep enough to where the water came up to her shoulders when she sat down.

Kittie sat back against the rock, thinking over everything that had happened the last couple days. She had gone from a normal life, doing what she could to help out around the settlement- running errands, laundry, cooking and serving, inventory- to one that was a bit more chaotic as it all seemed to change when Seth saved her in the Ancient Forest from the Great Jagras. She had seen him around the settlement, knew he was Commander Hayden's grandson, knew he was the Field Team Leader for the hunters, knew he was either a lady's man or just had dozens of admirers, knew he was well liked in Astera and skilled in battle. But beyond that, she didn't know much. She did have to admit, though, she did find him very attractive- with his well built, rhomboid shaped figure, battle scars, long black hair pulled back along the middle with the sides shaved and tied with a blue and red beaded yellow cord, and cerulean blue eyes.

'I could get lost in those blue eyes...' she thought to herself, then realizing what she said she smacked her cheeks and sighed. 'What am I doing...? I barely know the guy...' She looked up at the stars as they twinkled through the wisps of clouds decorating the night sky.

"Mind if I join you?"

Kittie jumped at the sudden voice and she looked over to see Seth standing on the bank. "S-Sure..." She looked away as he started to slip out of his boots and pants. When he came into the water and sat next to her, she scooted over to another side of the rock.

"This feels good." Seth said, leaning back. He glanced over at Kittie, chuckling a bit seeing how flustered she was. He winced, as he shifted his weight.

"How... are you feeling?" Kittie asked, glancing over at him when he heard him wince.

"Shoulder's stiff, but that poultice you put on it helped a ton." He looked at her. "Thanks."

Kittie smiled, then looked down for a moment as it faded. "I... should thank you."

"For what?"

"You've saved me, twice now."

"It's part of my job as a hunter." Seth looked up at the sky. "Besides, I'd never let anything bad happen to you." He glanced over at Kittie. "The Admiral would kick my ass."

Kittie giggled at that. "He probably would. He's always been a bit overly protective of me." She looked at Seth. "What?"

"You have a pretty smile, that's all."

Kittie blushed. "T-Thanks..."

"About earlier..."

"I'm sorry you got hurt because of me..." Kittie sighed. "I just couldn't let those hares get trampled by the Rathian."

"It's fine, Kittie, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt."

Kittie looked at him, wondering why he made her feel different than she did around anyone else. 'What makes him so different than any other man?'

"So, what are you planning on doing when we get back to Astera?"

"Hmm?" Kittie shook herself from her thoughts. "Oh, um, I suppose the usual. Nothing else I can really do, since I'm not a hunter."

"Did you hear about the Fifth Fleet scheduled to arrive in the next week or so?"

Kittie nodded. "Things will be getting much busier with the Fifth added to our ranks. But it will make things easier, too, I suppose."

"Ya, they're supposed to all be hunters and their handlers. Should lessen the load for us so we aren't stretched thin like we have been lately."

"True." She looked up at the sky and sighed. "Though, it may mean I'm going to have to find a more permanent position if they're going to help pick up the slack."

Seth chuckled. "I could think of a few things you could stick with."

Kittie stood, starting to get wrinkles on her fingers. "I should head back."

Seth watched as she went to the shore, wrapping her towel around her shoulders and grabbing her things.

"Don't stay too long, you still need to rest."

Seth wanted to say something to make her stay, but she quickly disappeared up the hill as she made her way back to camp. 'Damn... what is it about her that makes her so different than any other woman?' he wondered.

He stayed in the pool for a bit longer, then decided to head back to camp. He grabbed his things and went up the hill, making his way back up the vines and into the cave. When he stepped inside the tent, he found Kittie passed out on her bed in nothing more than her underclothes and tunic. He set his things down, reaching over to pull the blanket over Kittie. As he situated the blanket around her shoulders, he noticed the curvature of her breasts peeking out from behind her tunic. Shaking away any impure thoughts about her, he reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear- his eyes being drawn away by her scars.

Figuring it was a story for another time, he went to his own bed and lay down-situating himself beneath the covers as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

Having completed their mission, Theresa, Kittie, and Seth made their way home to Astera. Theresa was her usual cheerful self while Seth and Kittie still had an air of awkwardness between them. When they reached Astera, Theresa ran off to turn in her query and begin her research with the other ecologists while Kittie and Seth made their way up to the living quarters.

"So, I guess I'll see you around?"

Kittie nodded when they stopped to part ways. "Yeah."

"If you ever need a hunter to go out with you into the field, you can always count on me to have your back."

Kittie blushed, but she managed a smile. "Thanks, I appreciate that."

There was a moment of awkward silence between them until Seth broke it with, "See ya." They parted ways, heading towards opposite ends of the living quarters. But the whole way back to their rooms, each of them could not get the other out of their heads. They each wondered what kept drawing their minds back to the other and hoped they could figure it out sooner rather than later.


	6. Chapter 6

The next week or so was busy with the preparations for the arrival of the Fifth Fleet. Seth and Kittie rarely saw each other, even in passing, with everything going on, and before they knew it the Fifth had arrived. But not entirely intact.

While at sea, one of the ships from the fleet was temporarily marooned upon the back of an elder dragon known as Zorah Magdaros. The ship eventually slid back into the dark, stormy waters but one of its hunters and their handler had gotten separated from the rest of the fleet. It was believed they made it safely to shore, so search parties were put together and sent out to search for them.

Kittie was in the tradeyard helping the wounded when Seth returned with the missing hunter- a tall man with a very lean build- and handler- a cheerful, bubbly young woman that reminded Seth a lot of Theresa. Kittie looked up, seeing Seth giving them the grand tour, but didn't pay them much mind and returned to treating the wounded.

The day was a long one, especially for the Fivers and the healers, and Kittie was grateful when it came to a close. She checked in with everyone to see if anyone else needed help, then headed to the canteen to grab something to eat.

"Sounds like a party up there." Kittie commented, looking up towards the gathering hub- a place where the majority of hunters would hang out to drink and celebrate. It was also where the arena boards were, ready for any challenger willing to test their mettle against various monsters that had been captured.

"Yeah, the hunters are welcoming the Fifth Fleet." Cliffe said, presenting her with her order. "It was a rough journey, from what I hear. Purrfect way for them to unwind."

"I suppose. Thanks, Cliffe." Kittie took her plate and mug over to a free table and sat down to enjoy her meal.

It wasn't long, though, before the peaceful silence in the canteen was interrupted by a group of hunters who had come down from the hub, drunk and laughing a little too loudly. Kittie did her best to ignore them, nursing her drink- Dragon Ale, which was actually Cornelius' favorite drink.

After awhile, Kittie finished the rest of her drink and cleared her table, bringing the dishes to the wash station. She thanked Cliffe again, double checking one last time if he was sure he didn't need any extra help, then started to make her way to the waterfall bridge. But she didn't get very far before some of the drunk hunters decided to block her way and start flirting with her.

"Hey, beautiful, why don't you come join us for a drink?"

"Yeah, the night is still young."

Kittie offered them a polite smile. "Sorry, gentlemen, but I'll have to decline." She jumped a bit when a hand gripped her shoulder gently and she looked up to see Seth behind her.

"There you are, sweetheart, I've been looking for you." Seth said, smiling at her. He looked over at the two hunters. "Who are your new friends?"

"Oh, s-sorry man, we didn't realize she was taken."

"It's no problem." Seth said with a smile. "I really should be getting her home now, though, don't want any creeps trying any funny business with my girl."

"O-Of course."

Seth led her to the waterfall bridge and up the stairs to the living quarters. "You alright, Kittie?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright? Did those guys try anything?"

Kittie shook her head, then looked away blushing.

Seth chuckled, rubbing his neck. "Let me walk you home?"

Kittie nodded, taking the lead as Seth fell in step next to her and made sure she got home without incident. When they reached her door, they stopped and Kittie looked up at him.

"I... um..." She looked away, trying to find the courage to talk to him. "T-Thank you... for saving me again..."

"You're welcome."

"I should, um... I should get inside..." Kittie's heart was racing.

Seth could see how much she was blushing, even in the moonlight. He made to reply, but Kittie surprised him by kissing his cheek.

"Good night, Seth."

Caught off guard, Seth stood outside of her room as she hurried inside and closed the door. Smiling to himself, he made his way towards his own room. But try as he might, he could not relax with Kittie on his mind.

* * *

The following morning, Kittie woke to a knock on the door. She ignored it at first, but when it came again, she got out of bed and went to answer the door.

"Oh, morning, Seth." she said, finding Seth waiting. "What's going on?"

Seth made to greet her when she answered the door, but he stopped short of himself when he saw her standing there with bed head, her tunic hanging off her shoulder and leaving it bare while her underwear peeked out from beneath it as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. 'She's cute even half asleep..!'

"Seth?"

"Hmm? Oh, right, sorry. I'm going out into the field with one of the new hunters today, but I was wondering if you'd want to come with? Calder asked if we could gather some materials while we're out there and I could use an extra hand."

"Oh, um, sure." She stood back, leaving the door open for him. "You can come in, if you want. I just need to get changed real quick."

Surprised, Seth stepped inside her room and closed the door behind him. He whistled as he took in the large interior. "The Admiral really went all out for you."

Kittie went to her dresser, grabbing out a dress before stepping behind the partition screen to change. "I told him I didn't need something so big, but he insisted."

Seth waited by the hearth, seeing a few forest geckos scurry along the walls, a blissbill sitting atop the partition screen, and some cobalt flutterflies dancing in the garden. "It's impressive."

Kittie brushed out her hair and stepped out from behind the partition screen. "Thank you." She looked around, sighing. "I really don't need this much space to myself. I suppose it'd be fine if I shared it with someone, but it's just me." She grabbed her satchel and looked to Seth. "I'm ready if you are." When he nodded, she grabbed a few divineapples and tucked them into her satchel- biting into one as she followed Seth out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

As they all made their way to the Ancient Forest to deal with the more aggressive pack of Jagras and the Great Jagras- the ones who had attacked Kittie and the ecologists not too long ago- the hunter and his handler introduced themselves as Kristoff and Lydie. Kristoff seemed very battle hardened, a no nonsense kind of guy but friendly enough when he opened up, and Lydie reminded Kittie of Theresa.

While Kristoff and Seth went off to deal with the monsters, Lydie and Kittie went about gathering the materials they could from Calder's list- never straying too far from camp. A couple of hours passed and they had nearly completed the list, needing just the carvable materials from Jagras and Great Jagras. When Kristoff and Seth came back to camp, they gathered everything together and started making their way back to Astera. But along the way, Lydie spotted some colorful feathers scattered on the ground.

Kristoff's scoutflies wandered forward, illuminating the feathers as Lydie hurried forward and picked one up.

"I think we got a lead."

Seth looked from the feathers to the rest of the area, scanning for any other signs like the trail of feathers. "Maybe. Let's check it out." He looked to Kittie. "Stay close, alright?"

Kittie nodded, doing as instructed as she followed Seth and Kristoff. She watched as Seth's scoutflies crept forward, illuminating a strange purple substance.

Lydie kept walking, looking around, only stopping when Seth put out his arm.

"Hey."

They ducked down as the monster sauntered forward, oblivious to their presence.

'It's a Pukei-Pukei..!' Kittie thought.

"Well, you were right. There's our mark." Seth said, motioning for them to quickly and quietly move to a new position. "Something got him agitated."

Kittie saw a strange molten boulder looking object among the trees. "What is that?"

Seth followed her gaze, stepping out a bit to get a better look. "What the heck is that thing? I've never seen anything like it."

"You think it's from Zorah Magdaros?" Lydie wondered aloud.

"I'd like to find out..." Seth started, then turned away from the object and looked at the others as he continued, "... but we should head back and report in. Alright?"

Kristoff and Lydie nodded, taking the lead as they backed away. Seth took Kittie's hand and pulled her in a bit closer to him as they followed behind the others.

The way back to Astera was quiet for the most part, at least until they got back to the settlement and Kittie thanked Kristoff and Lydie for helping with the materials list. She insisted she'd be fine getting the materials to Calder, urging Seth to report in to his grandfather right away.

"Don't worry about me, Seth."

Seth sighed in defeat, knowing how stubborn Kittie was. "Alright. I'll come find you later, there's something I need to talk with you about."

Kittie nodded, curious as to what it could be he wanted to talk about. She bade them a good rest of their day, then made her way up to the lift and carried the materials to the workshop. She helped Calder and the other smiths unload everything, clean the hides and other carved materials, then went about helping out where she could much as she did every other day.

Several hours went by before Kittie realized that Seth had never come to find her. She had been so focused on work that it hadn't dawned on her until she was done for the day. She figured he had been pulled away to other duties, but she asked around anyway to see if anyone had seen him and was told that he was in the training arena with some of the new hunters. Having completed her duties for the day, she went to the training arena to find him, but what she found was not what she expected.

* * *

After reporting in to Commander Hayden, Seth went back out into the field with Kristoff to deal with the Pukei-Pukei. Between the two of them, they made quick work of the beast. But before he could go and find Kittie, Seth was pulled away for other duties- including a late training session in the training arena with some of the new hunters.

Hours had passed by since he had told Kittie he wanted to talk, but he had kind of forgotten with as busy as things had gotten. That is until he saw her standing just inside of the training arena, a jumbled mess of emotions playing across her face.

* * *

When Kittie reached the training arena, she could hear people talking inside. She made her way up the small hill and stopped when she saw Seth standing there with a half dozen hunters- all of them Fivers and all of them women. For some reason, it really bothered her that these women were fawning over Seth, flirting with him as they playfully touched his muscled arms and chest with the fakest laughs. She stood there for a moment, trying to process what she was feeling, but it was too much so she turned away and hurried back into the settlement- ignoring Seth as he called to her.

* * *

Seth had finished the training session with the Fivers, all of them just happening to be women, and sat down as they started asking him questions about fieldwork or about the techniques he was teaching. He happily answered, not really bothered by the way they were fawning over him. It was nothing new to him. He even let them feel his muscles when they asked, describing his workout routine to them when they asked how he got so built. When he had noticed Kittie standing just inside of the training arena, he wanted to call to her but the look she had threw him off. He had never seen that look before, especially with Kittie. It was like a jumbled mess of disappointment, jealousy, embarrassment, and hurt. He had tried calling out to her, but she turned and hurried off. Excusing himself, he went after her and looked around, but couldn't find her. Deciding to check her room, he hurried up to the living quarters and to her room- knocking on the door.


	8. Chapter 8

Kittie had run straight to her room, her mind racing and her heart pounding. She was so confused by what she was feeling, so confused at how much it bothered her to see him with other women. She needed to cool down and think, so she slipped out of her clothes and grabbed a towel before setting herself down on the pond steps.

'Why does it bother me so much..? It's not like we're seeing each other...' she thought, then recalled what he had done for her the night before. 'He saved me from those two drunk hunters, even called me his girl... is that why I feel like this..?' She ducked under the water, unaware of the knocking at her door. When she resurfaced, she sighed and reached over to grab her towel. She stood and wrapped it around herself, looking up at the sky as the dusk settled. 'What am I going to do..?' She noticed the clouds and sighed. 'There's a storm coming, too.'

This time she heard the knocking came again and quickly slipped on clean underwear and a tunic before going to answer the door, but when she heard Seth on the other side asking to be let in, she hesitated.

"Come on, Kittie, I know you're in there. Please, just let me in?"

Kittie sighed, reaching forward to open the door, but when she did she hadn't realized that Seth was leaning against the door and came tumbling into her room- wrapping his arms around her and turning so that he wouldn't land on top of her. The door bounced against the wall and slammed shut.

Kittie gasped as she fell forward onto Seth's chest. She tried to push herself up, but Seth had an arm around her waist and she found herself blushing as she felt the contours of his chest muscles.

Seth groaned a bit, having landed pretty hard on his back against the stone floors, but when he opened his eyes and saw Kittie on top of him he felt his cheeks burning. His arm had wrapped around her instinctively and he could feel the contours of her figure, could see her breasts peeking out through her tunic as the fabric bunched up from the fall.

Kittie wanted to get off of him, but she couldn't seem to. Outside, the storm had begun to brew and the thunder cracked, spooking her- making her jump and press into Seth as if she needed to be any closer to him than she already was.

Seth chuckled and his grip on her tightened a little. "Scared of a bit of lightning?"

Kittie nodded, looking away embarrassed. "Ever since I was a little girl..."

Seth looked at her. He sat them up and another crack of thunder sounded, louder than the last. Kittie jumped and put her hand to Seth's chest, leaning into him. Chuckling and pulling her closer, Seth looked down at her. "Kittie."

Kittie looked up at him, letting him lift her chin up.

"You're really cute when you're scared." Seth reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her neck.

Kittie's cheeks burned and she wanted to look away, but she couldn't. She let him pull her to her feet, his arms wrapping around her to steady her when she lost her footing. "Sorry..." Thunder cracked again and she jumped, burying herself in his chest.

Seth could feel her whole body shaking. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, setting her down. He made to go take off his boots and put them by the wardrobe, but Kittie grabbed his hand. "I'm not going anywhere, Kittie, I promise. Let me take off my boots and I'll come sit with you, OK?"

Kittie nodded, waiting patiently for him to come back and jumping again at the next crack of thunder. She wanted to curl up in a ball, hide away from the storm.

"Hey, shh... it's going to be OK." Seth sat behind her, pulling her into his lap and holding her. "You're shaking still..." He pulled one of her blankets up around them, letting her bury herself in his chest.

"Please stay with me..? Just for a bit..." Kittie asked.

"Of course, Kittie."

Seth held her and tried his best to comfort her. After awhile, Kittie stopped shaking despite the ongoing storm outside. When Seth noticed her shaking had stopped, he looked down at her and smiled. "Better?"

Kittie blushed, but she nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Seth."

"Any time, Kittie." He leaned back against the wall, keeping his hold around Kittie.

"You wanted to talk about something?" Kittie asked, looking at him as she pushed back from him a bit.

"Yeah, but it can wait."

Kittie shook her head. "I'm OK, Seth, thanks to you." She sat back on her legs. "What was it?"

"I wanted to apologize for earlier, for one thing. I shouldn't have let those girls hang all over me like that."

"You shouldn't apologize for that, Seth." Kittie looked down. "It's not like we're together."

Seth wasn't sure what to say to her; he had never been in this kind of position before. He felt defeated when Kittie pushed back from him and refused to look at him as she said she was tired and needed to rest, that he should go. He knew arguing with her would be pointless, so he did as she asked- grabbing his boots on the way out. He took one last look at Kittie, his chest tight when he saw the same look as before. He closed the door and leaned against it, part of him wanting to go back in there while part of him told him he needed to respect her wishes despite his own feelings on the matter.

"Damn it..."


	9. Chapter 9

After a week or so, Seth seemed to fall back into old habits, unsure of how to approach Kittie. He had never seen anyone have that look before and it really threw him off guard. And Kittie, well, she was just grateful that he was leaving her be for the moment. She needed to sort through some things and being around Seth would make that harder than it needed to be.

While they went back to their usual routines, and as expected, with the Fifth Fleet's addition to Astera's population, things were much busier. Seth was busy training the new hunters, helping them on their first few quests in the field or overseeing training sessions in the training arena, and Kittie was busy helping out as she always did- though with so many other hunters, they weren't stretched as thin as they were before so she was able to stick with just helping with laundry and the canteen mostly.

Before long, though, Kristoff and Lydie- along with a few other hunters from the Fifth- were able to gather enough evidence for the ecologists to discern where Zorah Magdaros would surface next and when. But it wasn't for another few days, so they still had some time to prepare for the large scaled operation planned.

The night the news was given of the operation, Kittie had been running errands as usual and was delivering some things to the provision stockpile. As she passed by the council table on her way to the lift, she overheard some of the hunters from the Fifth flirting with Seth.

"So, Seth..." One of them- a blonde with a very petite build- said while tracing his bicep with her finger. "Why don't we grab a bite to eat at the canteen and get to know each other? My friends and I would LOVE to hear about all of your experiences hunting."

Kittie rolled her eyes. "You learn more by gaining your own experiences in the field. You shouldn't interfere with another hunter's responsibilities, it could be very dangerous."

The Fivers glared at her.

"We'll be just fine with Seth next to us," another- this one a brunette- added.

"Yeah!" the others joined in, their annoyingly girly voices giving Kittie a headache.

"Besides, what would you know? You're not even a hunter!"

Kittie narrowed her eyes at the ginger who spoke. "I may not be a hunter, but I can hold my own."

"Well news flash, little miss maid, you really should keep your advice to yourself and leave the monsters to the professionals." said the blonde.

Kittie rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're absolutely right, so why don't you let me know where I can find one and I'll be sure to thank them for their service." She turned to start leaving, but the Fivers weren't finished.

"You stuck up, little bitch, you think you're so hot." The blonde marched down to where Kittie had stopped. "I ought to kick your ass and put you in your place."

Seth, who had been stunned by the Fivers' reaction to Kittie's warning and even more so by how Kittie was handling the situation, watched as Kittie turned back towards the blonde with a look he had never seen before.

"Is that a challenge, Fiver?"

"Damn right it is. Training arena, one hour."

Kittie glanced at Seth, then returned her attention to the blonde. "Make it ten minutes and you've got a deal."

The blonde seemed to balk nervously, but accepted as she realized it was too late to rescind her challenge. "Fine."

"You best prepare yourself, Fiver. You're going to need it."

Seth watched as Kittie walked away, taking the lift to the workshop before coming back out a minute or two later and heading straight for the training arena. 'What the hell just happened?'

* * *

News of the challenge spread like wildfire and dozens of people came to watch Kittie and the Fiver spar, many of them placing bets on Kittie being the winner- knowing full well what she was capable of thanks to the Admiral.

Kittie was waiting for the blonde and her little friends to arrive, tuning out the chatter around her. She didn't really care what this girl or her friends- or anyone for that matter- thought of her, but she would teach her a lesson nonetheless.

"And here I was thinking you wimped out."

Kittie looked up as the blonde came into the arena with her friends. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Sure, whatever."

"Any of the practice weapons are permitted, or if you'd prefer your own weapon. First to five hits wins."

"Whatever, let's just get this over with." She drew her twin blades, getting into a showy stance.

Kittie stood across from her with a practice staff in hand. "You may take the first strike."

The blonde smirked and lunged for Kittie, but Kittie dodged and spun around, tapping her on the shoulder with her staff.

"That's one hit to me."

The blonde turned on her, trying to get in a few more strikes. Kittie dodged the first two, then parried the rest. Seeing an opening once again, she side stepped around her and smacked the blonde on the back of the leg, then on her arm.

"That's another two for me. You really need to be more careful about your attacks. You keep leaving yourself open." Kittie said, waiting patiently for the blonde to regain her stance. "Maybe if you weren't so busy flirting and fawning over Seth, you'd have at least gotten close to getting in a hit."

The blonde was visibly pissed now and lunged for her. "Stop toying with me, you bitch!" She tried to attack her with a double slash, then a rotation slash, but Kittie just parried her attacks and smacked her against the side.

"And that's number four. You have one hit remaining before I win." Kittie sighed. "Really, now, you're just embarrassing yourself. How can you call yourself a hunter if this is the best you've got?"

"Shut the hell up!" The blonde tried once more to land a hit, but she couldn't seem to and had no idea why.

Kittie was getting bored with the same attacks, the same openings, and she knew she had to end the match before the Fiver embarrassed herself even further. She took the practice staff, parried her attacks, then knocked the blades from her hands and held the end of the staff just in front of her face. The blonde looked at her nervously, her eyes widening for a moment when she saw Kittie smirk right before she lightly tapped the Fiver's forehead.

"And there's five." Kittie sighed. "Honestly, it wasn't much of a challenge. You really need to work on your fighting skills. If you fought a monster in the field the way you fought me tonight, then you'd be dead in a matter of seconds." She turned to replace the staff on the weapons rack. "You're a hunter for a reason, Fiver. Whatever that reason, you have to take it more seriously than you've shown. You can't always rely on Seth or any other hunter to be by your side. There will be times where you might get separated from your party or you're just out on your own entirely. Either way, you have to be able to fend for yourself and be fully prepared to face your opponent alone."

She started to walk away, just wanting to go home and soak, but the blonde got to her feet and tried to rush her. Kittie dodged her initial punch, grabbing her fist and pulling her arm back. "Fighting dirty with me won't get you anywhere." She pushed down on her back for a moment, then released her. "You're determined, I'll give you that. But use that determination towards training instead, alright?"

Leaving things at that, Kittie left the arena and started making her way back into the settlement. She got just to where the lift was before she heard someone calling to her.

"What do you want, Seth? Come to lecture me about teaching your groupies a lesson?"

"You didn't have to toy with her, Kittie." Seth looked down at her. "She shouldn't have challenged you like that, but you didn't have to embarrass her more than she was doing to herself."

Kittie looked up at him. "And you shouldn't be letting them hang all over you without a damn care in the world. They're more focused on trying to impress you or seduce you than they are with their training."

"How would you know? You're not a hunter, you don't see how hard they actually work."

"You think I don't see what goes on around here? Every day, even before the Fifth arrived, you let your little groupies, your admirers, hang all over you- flirting like their life depends on it. And you relish every bit of it!"

"Why do you even care? At least I'm not going around ignoring everyone around me unless it suits my needs!"

"'Suits my needs'? That's rich coming from the grandson of the Commander, the mighty Field Team Leader who has had everything practically handed to him!"

Seth was silent, unsure how to respond to that. Kittie turned and stormed off, taking the lift up to the waterfall bridge.


	10. Chapter 10

Kittie got off the lift, looking over as Seth called to her. She rolled her eyes and made for her room. 'He's so infuriating...!' She shut the door to her room and kicked off her shoes. Not long after, a banging on her door sounded and she could hear Seth calling out to her.

"Go away, Seth!" she shouted back.

Outside, Seth had hurried after Kittie and when he reached her room, he pounded on her door. He called out to her a few times, hearing her shout back to go away, but there was still plenty he needed to say- needed to ask. He knocked once more, this time Kittie coming to answer.

"What about 'go away' do you not understand?"

"What makes you think I can just let things end like that? Do you think I enjoy being pissed off, especially at you?"

Kittie rolled her eyes, turning to walk away- not caring if he came in or not. "Why would you even care?"

"What makes you think I don't?" Seth came into the room behind her, closing the door.

"Why would you?" Kittie asked.

"Why are you being so difficult?" Seth grabbed her and slammed her into the wall. "Do you honestly think I don't care about you?"

Kittie grunted when she hit the wall and she looked up at him, suddenly blushing profusely. "How should I know?" She tried to push away from the wall.

Seth pushed her back and felt his breathing getting heavier and his heart pounding faster. His face was burning as he felt a new kind of desire- one he had never felt before- for her rise up.

"Do you even realize, Seth, how much it hurts to see you with other women? Especially when I don't even understand why it bothers me so much?"

Seth's eyes widened, not expecting that response from her. His grip on her loosened and he stepped back as Kittie put her hands on his chest to push him away.

"I think you should go, Seth..."

"Kittie..."

Kittie refused to look at him and made her way to the garden, leaning against one of the pillars. 'Why do I feel like this..?'

Seth looked at her, having half a mind to do as she asked and leave. But the last time he had done that, he never got to say what he had wanted to. And this time, he wasn't about to go and let things remain unsaid.

Kittie heard Seth come up behind her and she turned towards him. "Seth, please... I can't do this right now... just go home..."

Seth came to stand in front of her. "I'm not going anywhere, yet. There's still something I need to do." He grabbed her around the waist and cradled her face with his free hand as he pulled her in for a kiss.

Kittie's eyes widened as Seth pressed his lips against hers, gruff but gentle at the same time. She felt her face burning and her heart racing. When Seth pulled away and looked at her, she felt as if she was in a daze.

"I've been trying for weeks to figure out what makes you so different than the other women, why I'm so drawn to you." He said softly. "I have a feeling you've been trying to do the same, so when you're ready let's find the answers together, OK?" He released her and turned to leave her room.

'Why?' she asked herself. 'Why did he kiss me?'

Kittie shook her head, still feeling a bit dazed. She slipped out of her clothes, then sat in the pond soaking for a bit as she thought over what just happened. After a while, with still little to no answers to her questions, she got out of the pond and dried off before changing into her usual sleep attire. Laying back on her bed as the canopy net closed around her, she stared at the ceiling and reached up to touch her lips.

"Seth..."

* * *

Over the course of the next couple days, Kittie avoided Seth as she was just too confused about their situation and her own feelings. When it came time for the hunters to leave for the Great Ravine, Kittie stayed behind with the non-essential personnel and hoped that everyone would be OK and come back home in one piece. But before he left, Seth came to see her.

Seth felt bad for springing a kiss onto her like that, but he had come to the determination that he had feelings for Kittie and wanted to explore them with her- if she'd let him. When it came time for he and the other hunters to leave for the Great Ravine, he found Kittie to say goodbye.

"Kittie?"

Kittie looked up from where she was working. "Seth... shouldn't you be leaving with the others?"

"I wanted to see you before I left." He rubbed his neck and looked away for a moment. "Look... I'm sorry about the other night..."

Kittie blushed, looking away. "You don't need to apologize..." She looked back up at him. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you..."

"It's OK. I know you needed time." Seth met her gaze.

"About that..."

Seth was about to say something, but some of his hunter friends called to him. "I have to go, Kittie. Let's talk when I get back, OK?"

Kittie reached out for his hand, stopping him a moment. "Seth, wait..." She felt her cheeks burning, her heart pounding, her mind racing. She took a deep breath and stood on her toes to give him a kiss.

Seth was surprised that she kissed him, especially in front of the others, but he pulled her into his arms and deepened the kiss. He lingered as long as he could, then pulled back.

"Come home safe?" Kittie asked, looking up at him.

Seth smiled and nodded. "I promise." He gave her one last kiss, then stepped back. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he left her standing there to join the others.

Kittie watched as he left with the other hunters, a hand to her chest in an attempt to steady her thumping heart. She smiled when he turned and waved before disappearing through the gate.

"Good luck, Seth."


	11. Chapter 11

Seth arrived with his grandfather in the Great Ravine and they inspected the first barrier, making sure everything was ready. Commander Hayden checked in with Kristoff, Lydie, and the hunters they were helping, Lydie promising that everything would be ready in time.

"The operation will commence at daybreak."

Seth chuckled. "Sounds like we've got our work cut out for us, eh old man?"

Hayden nodded, looking up at the moon. "By next moonrise, Zorah will be in chains."

* * *

Preparations, as promised, were done by dawn. Now all that was left to do was wait for Zorah Magdaros to make its appearance.

Kristoff stood with Lydie as she watched with Seth and the Commander for any signs of their query. And they didn't have to wait long.

All of a sudden, everyone's scoutflies began glowing blue and took to the sky before diving down to the ground, hovering a moment, then glowed yellow and quickly dispersed as Zorah Magdaros broke through the stone.

"Get to your posts, now!" Hayden ordered.

Kristoff, Seth, and the other hunters all jumped into action. They fired cannonballs and ballistae arrows at the monster, aiming at its belly and head, trying to wear it down as it drew closer and closer. Their attacks did little to deter it and it broke through the first barrier. As ordered, they hurried to the posts where they hitched a ride from the mernos, guiding them over to Zorah Magdaros before jumping down onto its back.

Seth called for orders and the Commander answered. Their orders were to take out the magma cores on the monster's shell in order to weaken it. Lydie warned that the cores were spewing magma, hoping the hunters wouldn't get hit.

The hunters searched for the magma cores, attacking them until they destroyed them. Once they had, Hayden ordered them to lure it to the second barrier while Seth warned them to watch their footing, otherwise the monster would shake them off.

It wasn't long before an unknown winged monster flew towards them, landing on Zorah Magdaros' back. The Commander ordered the ballista team to provide support while the hunters head for its back and drive off the new monster. Lydie called out that it looked like the monster they had been finding the thorns from. Whatever the monster was, it was devilish and aggressive beyond belief.

Kristoff and a few other A-listers were the first to reach the new monster and tried to drive it off while the barrier teams shot giant harpoons to trap and secure Zorah Magdaros. One of them got knocked off pretty quickly, but was able to hitch a ride from a Mernos and hurriedly rejoined the fight. Seth, from his post at his grandfather's side, watched as the hunters charged at the new monster, landing as many hits as they could before they had to dodge the monster's next attack as it lashed at them after getting shot at by the ballista team. He saw that they weren't getting very far with the monster and was beginning to fear that they would fail. That is until Seth's teacher, Gregoir, joined the fight, slicing through some of its thorns.

Thinking they finally had a chance to beat this new monster, Kristoff and the others assisted Gregoir in attacking it. But before they could much anything further, Zorah Magdaros broke free from the harpoon chains that were keeping it trapped and as it stood straight, Kristoff and the others began falling off its back. They landed hard on the ground below as it broke through the second barrier and made its way into the Great Ravine.

Feeling defeated at their failure, Seth and the other hunters could only watch as Zorah Magdaros sundered into the ravine.

* * *

Back in Astera, word had reached the settlement that the operation had failed and the wounded were sent ahead of the rest. Kittie jumped in to help with the wounded, hoping Seth was not among them. When she didn't see him there, she was relieved but still worried nonetheless as more wounded poured into the settlement.

It wasn't long before Seth and the other hunters returned. They made their way back into the tradeyard, setting down the remaining gear they could salvage from the operation. A council was called to discuss what the next step was, which was to search for signs of where Zorah Magdaros disappeared to. Once the council was dismissed, Seth went searching for Kittie.

He found her with the wounded, helping however she could. He smiled at that, glad to see that she seemed back to her old self. He watched her for a moment or two before one of the healers nudged her and gestured in his direction.

"Kittie."

Kittie looked at the healer, then towards where they gestured. "Seth..!" She looked back at the healer when she chuckled and told her to go, that they'd be fine without her. She hurried to where Seth stood, throwing her arms around his waist.

"You're OK..!"

Seth chuckled and hugged her. "I promised, didn't I?" He lifted up her chin and leaned down to kiss her, lingering for a moment.

When he pulled away, Kittie looked up at him. "When the wounded were the first to arrive, I had hoped you wouldn't be among them."

"I'm fine, Kittie, really." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Why don't we get out of here? It looks like they've got things handled now."

Kittie nodded, letting him take her by the hand and lead her away. He took her up to the roost above the workshop, smiling when she stared in awe at the sunset.

"It's so beautiful...!"

Seth looked out over the landscape, the beach a silvery beige between deep green forest and brilliant blue seas. "Yes it is."

They stood there enjoying the sunset until dusk fell, not a word said between them until Kittie asked, "So, you wanted to talk when you got back?"

Seth looked down at her, his hand finding her hip as she turned towards him. "Ya, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. "Be my girl, Kittie?"

"Really?"

"Really." Seth leaned in closer, his hand moving to her neck as he tilted her chin up towards him. "What do you say?"

"I will." Kittie replied, feeling herself surrender to his touch as he closed the distance between them and kissed her.


End file.
